YES SIR SON
- Thread starter Billy
- Start date
I'm going have to dig into my fly-fishing stuff and find my deer hair poppers.
I started fly fishing for bass as a teenager (mid-1960s) using basic streamers I tied and some store-bought hard poppers. A few years later met Dave Whitlock at a fishing show. He was tying some of his deer hair bugs and was more than generous with his time showing me some of the tricks of tying. Those deer hair bugs became the mainstay in my fly rod "bassin". I regularly threw those bugs for a couple decades but somehow got into other fishing. Like Roland said my catch was mostly small bass but would get enough larger fish on my western Washington ponds and sloughs to keep thing interesting. While I never kept or weight the bass I caught, I think my largest on those deer hair poppers was 22.5 inches, a pretty respectable W. Washington fish!
I started fly fishing for bass as a teenager (mid-1960s) using basic streamers I tied and some store-bought hard poppers. A few years later met Dave Whitlock at a fishing show. He was tying some of his deer hair bugs and was more than generous with his time showing me some of the tricks of tying. Those deer hair bugs became the mainstay in my fly rod "bassin". I regularly threw those bugs for a couple decades but somehow got into other fishing. Like Roland said my catch was mostly small bass but would get enough larger fish on my western Washington ponds and sloughs to keep thing interesting. While I never kept or weight the bass I caught, I think my largest on those deer hair poppers was 22.5 inches, a pretty respectable W. Washington fish!
Have a Texas pond I regularly fish from the bank just like Roland's doing in the first vid. Figured out early on that standing waaay back from the bank and tossing the popper just past the weedline was the ticket before wading out and casting toward the open water. One of my favorite ways to fish (unless you're wading and end up sharing close space with Water Moccasins or other nasties). I'm glad bass are tough . . . . they often get skated across those shoreline weeds and airmail released back into the pond.
A funny aside- seems Roland forgot his own advice from the 1st video (always wear glasses).
A funny aside- seems Roland forgot his own advice from the 1st video (always wear glasses).
Last edited:
Fly Fisher Wins Bass Tournament - Fly Fisherman
Ryan Williams used only afly rod to compete in the Wild West Bass Trail Lake Shasta team tournament on January 2, 2021.
www.flyfisherman.com
I’ve always liked Roland.
I find it funny how he always gets his promotional pitches in.
I was watching him recently and he went into the importance of wearing lip balm….which quickly segued into an endorsement for a certain brand of lip balm.
He is a fishing / promotional machine and in hell of good shape for being 83.
SF
I find it funny how he always gets his promotional pitches in.
I was watching him recently and he went into the importance of wearing lip balm….which quickly segued into an endorsement for a certain brand of lip balm.
He is a fishing / promotional machine and in hell of good shape for being 83.
SF
83?
Holy shit
Proves fishing is good for you
Holy shit
Proves fishing is good for you
Coach Potter
Life of the Party
I know several fly fishermen who have won bass tournaments…but not on a fly rod
. I went to that world as a fly fisherman. I fished about 100 events during that time and there was one 2 hour window on the Columbia that I was in a situation where a fly rod would have been helpful.
Bass-O-Matic
Life of the Party
Could you describe that situation where you felt fly had the advantage?I know several fly fishermen who have won bass tournaments…but not on a fly rod
I have done a fair amount of bass fishing with both gear and the fly rod (even fished a few tournaments) and I have seen several situations where the fly angler can compete with the gear angler. First, we need to recognize that some anglers are more "fishy" than others and regardless of the method those "fishy" anglers have things stacked in their favor.
It has long been known that the fly angler can be very successful in smaller rivers and streams with the fly rod - see Lefty Kreh.
For lakes
The first time I saw where the fly angler compete on even ground with a gear angler in the same boat was with summer smallmouth on a relatively clear heavy fished water where it was common for the smallmouth back off the feeding shelves to suspend. In that situation where the fish are suspended say 15 feet below the surface in 25 feet of water the typical approach is to fish a diving plug, swim bait, etc. that can be worked at the level of the fish. The fly angler can do the same with full sinking lines with the advantage of being able to present a "lure" that the fish has not seen before.
In some of the clear water lakes I fished it was not uncommon to see largemouth cruising/holding in very shallow water that often are very spooky. The fly approach can allow for a "gentler" presentation to such bass reducing the chances of spooking the bass.
With the development of the "float and fly" method for smallmouth some 30 years ago can easily be adapted to the fly fishing game. A couple places such an approach would shine include the above suspension example. It is common it the summer for smallmouth to suspend under docks; again a subtle fly under an indicator would fish. There are a number of similar situations where an indicator presentation would work though an angler experienced in both gear and fly fishing for bass would more easily recognize those situations. A balanced leech under an indicator would be a good starting point for this approach.
Smallmouth tend to be more trout like and during various hatches (especially larger bugs) the fly rod becomes the perfect tool for a successful presentation. I would also putting matching small fry of various potential bait fish in this group.
Finally, it is my opinion that smallmouth over largemouth provide the fly angler the best chance at the larger specimens in the lake.
Curt
It has long been known that the fly angler can be very successful in smaller rivers and streams with the fly rod - see Lefty Kreh.
For lakes
The first time I saw where the fly angler compete on even ground with a gear angler in the same boat was with summer smallmouth on a relatively clear heavy fished water where it was common for the smallmouth back off the feeding shelves to suspend. In that situation where the fish are suspended say 15 feet below the surface in 25 feet of water the typical approach is to fish a diving plug, swim bait, etc. that can be worked at the level of the fish. The fly angler can do the same with full sinking lines with the advantage of being able to present a "lure" that the fish has not seen before.
In some of the clear water lakes I fished it was not uncommon to see largemouth cruising/holding in very shallow water that often are very spooky. The fly approach can allow for a "gentler" presentation to such bass reducing the chances of spooking the bass.
With the development of the "float and fly" method for smallmouth some 30 years ago can easily be adapted to the fly fishing game. A couple places such an approach would shine include the above suspension example. It is common it the summer for smallmouth to suspend under docks; again a subtle fly under an indicator would fish. There are a number of similar situations where an indicator presentation would work though an angler experienced in both gear and fly fishing for bass would more easily recognize those situations. A balanced leech under an indicator would be a good starting point for this approach.
Smallmouth tend to be more trout like and during various hatches (especially larger bugs) the fly rod becomes the perfect tool for a successful presentation. I would also putting matching small fry of various potential bait fish in this group.
Finally, it is my opinion that smallmouth over largemouth provide the fly angler the best chance at the larger specimens in the lake.
Curt
cdnred
Life of the Party
Good point in the standing away from the shoreline when fishing the weed line. Fish are spooky and if you cast a shadow, they're long gone..
Coach Potter
Life of the Party
I was fishing a tournament that launched out of Columbia Point in Richland and our fish were all up in the reach…lots of well defined current seams up there. It was June and a caddis hatch came off that lasted for a couple hours. There were some schools of big SM that were keyed on them. I don’t know that a fly rod would have been an advantage but it would have been helpful for a fish or two.
That said, some guys ran 50 miles the other way and caught a 25# bag of SM and crushed the field by 3-4 pounds. That tournament had 100+ boats in it so the winning margins aren’t normally that big.
Yes…… Bill Dance
Love the guy
Love the guy
I noticed that Roland mentions Betts poppers in both videos.
I got turned on to Betts flies and Boogle Bugs by a guy from Florida who was really into fly fishing for bass and panfish. I had never heard of Betts before. The guy gave me some Betts Pop n’Rounds. Those things are like crack cocaine to bluegills and smaller bass (and occasionally larger bass).
The Boogle Bugs work too, but are pricey.
I got turned on to Betts flies and Boogle Bugs by a guy from Florida who was really into fly fishing for bass and panfish. I had never heard of Betts before. The guy gave me some Betts Pop n’Rounds. Those things are like crack cocaine to bluegills and smaller bass (and occasionally larger bass).
The Boogle Bugs work too, but are pricey.
